The toad is the feminine principle, the anima (the frog is the masculine principle, the animus). In Western tradition, she is associated with the Earth Mother. She helps with childbirth and she is regarded as the representation of the womb. In churches in Bavaria, the Virgin Mary is surrounded by toads. Here she takes on the function of the Greek goddess Artemis Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth.
According to the Taoist tradition, the toad is fished up from the Well of Truth. She is a protecting spirit that lives on the moon and creates the elixer of life.
The toad is also used in witchcraft for love potions. Since the skin is slightly poisonous, witches use it as a basic ingredient for their potions.
The toad is green, the color of the heart chakra and of Venus which is all about love and harmony.
Thus, the toad is the mother who has the power over life and death. She can bring life, or she can kill you with her poison. She even bears the principle of love.
